


We Fight

by LongLiveRogers



Category: Avengers (Movies), Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, Gen, IW SPOILERS, Implied stucky????, Post-Avengers Infinity War (2018), Steve POV, motherly advice, sorry this probably sucks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-04
Updated: 2018-06-04
Packaged: 2019-05-18 02:51:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14844230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LongLiveRogers/pseuds/LongLiveRogers
Summary: In a Brooklyn apartment in 1925, Sarah Rogers told her son, “You always stand up.”Almost a century too late, her son wonders what the use of standing up is when you’ve been kicked down for the last time.





	We Fight

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first real, published fic, and it’s probably terrible. As always, constructive criticism is appreciated, and don’t say I didn’t warn you of SPOILERS!!! Love y’all!  
> ~Sam

“What do we do?” Natasha asks, her hoarse whisper cutting through the too-heavy silence.

On the tarmac of an airport in Germany, someone asks,

_What do we do, Cap?_

Steve takes a breath and shuts his eyes.

On the tarmac of an airport in Germany, Captain America answers,

_We fight._

Steve Rogers doesn’t answer. He knows he should stand up, dust himself off and tell the team there’s still hope. That they have half a goddamn universe to avenge and a purple son of a bitch to kill. That they haven’t lost.

But they have.

_Oh god, they have._

In a Brooklyn apartment in 1925, Sarah Rogers told her son, _You always stand up._

Almost a century too late, her son wonders what the use of standing up is when you’ve been kicked down for the last time. When there’s nothing left to stand up for. When you fail the entire universe once and the one person who’s never failed you is gone _again_ and it’s _your fault. Again._

But he knows exactly what she’d say. No, fuck that. He knows exactly what she’d _do_.

So he sighs, and he slowly, shakily rises to his feet. He bends, despite his ribs screaming in protest, and lifts what’s left of Vision in his arms. Later, he will fall to his knees and scream his throat raw and wait for the dust to claim him like it should have long ago. Later, when death doesn’t come (because it never does), sleep won’t either. Their names will echo in his head until the sun rises on this newly broken world. 

But now? He squares his shoulders and takes a step forward. And another. And another. He already feels his stomach turning and his legs threatening to give out. He doesn’t look back when he notices a steadying hand on his shoulder, but he nods his thanks and takes another step. Steve Rogers doesn’t know if the city is still standing beyond the tree line. He doesn’t know where he’s going or what lies ahead. The only thing he’s ever known is putting one foot in front of the other. So he does. And his team follows him.

 


End file.
